What do you think this new year holds for online businesses like yours?
The pandemic aggressively shifted the consumers’ shopping behavior in such a short time. Physical retail stores were forced to temporarily close and sell online to thrive, resulting in a rapid increase in online shoppers. This means we will see a mix of old and new trends that will reshape businesses this year.
Grow your business online; check out these 10 Online Business Trends listed by Cybertegic, a digital marketing company in Los Angeles, to help you stay ahead of the curve:
1. New Digital Marketing Demographics to Focus On
Baby boomers are forced to do their shopping online because of store closures. This trend will not change just yet, as over ⅓ of respondents in this demographic says they would continue shopping online even after the pandemic, according to Statista.
What you can do:
Target this new demographic and engage with them to turn baby boomers into loyal patrons.
2. Mobile Commerce’s Domination
Consumers now trust online shopping and are more comfortable making purchasing using mobile devices. Statista also predicts that mobile devices will make almost 73% of total e-commerce sales by the end of this year.
What you can do:
Focus on improving the online shopping experience for mobile shoppers — make sure to have a fast, mobile-friendly website.
3. AR and VR in Online Shopping Become More Popular
Despite being a relatively new technology, the rise of augmented and virtual reality have been staggering. Businesses are now offering virtual interfaces that allow shoppers to virtually try on makeup, clothes, or home decor before buying. This technology seems to be effective, as almost 50% of consumers are more likely to shop at retailers that offer AR and VR, according to a BRP report.
What you can do:
Offer virtual interfaces to allow shoppers to try on your products virtually before purchasing.
4. Continuous Rise in Popularity of Live Videos
Virtual events and live videos allowed customers and brands to connect during the pandemic. As a result, streaming videos has now become the new norm for content creators and consumers. According to a HubSpot survey, 54% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support.
What you can do:
Engage your customers by regularly going live. Showcase your products and services and provide customers with useful information related to your brand.
5. Growth of Visual Commerce
Visual commerce is the use of product images (in use, up-close shots, 360-degree views, videos) throughout the website. Appealing product images on the homepage and quick links to the product pages successfully influence shoppers to buy. This is not surprising, as humans are visual creatures easily attracted to aesthetics.
What you can do:
Leverage visual commerce by creating 360-degree photos or videos of your best-selling products in real life. Incorporate this content into your website.
6. More Personal Social Media Marketing
Users spent more hours on social media during the pandemic and looked for brands that make them feel like they matter. Consumers today expect brands to be inclusive, especially the younger demographics.
What you can do:
Go for a more focused approach and reflect real-world diversity to ensure that your target audience feels like you are specifically talking to them.
7. More Shoppable Posts
Shoppable posts on Instagram and YouTube allow users to shop items directly from the post, and this trend isn’t new. But because consumers are now learning to shop on social media due to the pandemic, social commerce will become even more important.
What you can do:
Make shopping for your customers easier and faster by utilizing shoppable posts.
8. Continuous Rise of Voice Commerce
More users now rely on Alexa, Amazon Echo, and Google Home with Google Assistant for basically everything. According to Loup Ventures, 75% of U.S. households will have smart speakers by 2025.
What you can do:
Make sure to optimize your e-commerce website for voice search, as voice commerce sales may reach $40 billion by 2022.
9. Increased Online Conversions
The pandemic has forced consumers to shop online as many brick-and-mortar shops closed down. Retailers are now online, and medical and law services are shifting to virtual appointments and consultations. This rapid shift means that e-commerce is at an all-time high and will continue to rise.
What you can do:
Be more accessible to consumers by shifting your business online. It also helps to add a customer service chatbot to your website and create a mobile app for convenience and faster transactions.
10. Greater Online Presence
This year, we can expect increased online advertising on search engines, social media channels, and local business platforms. In fact, more than 389 billion U.S. dollars is projected to be spent on digital advertising worldwide in 2021, from 333 billion in 2020 and 325 billion dollars in 2019, according to Statista. SEO efforts will also be more aggressive than ever as more competitors shift their business online.
What you can do:
Don’t be afraid to invest in PPC (Pay-Per-Click) online advertising, especially on channels where your target customers are. When PPC is done simultaneously with SEO, your business gets a better chance of dominating organic and paid results.
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Sources:
- Business Insider
- eMarketer
- Hubspot
- Statista
- VoiceBot
- WordStream